The Killer's Ace in the Hole
by Swagnarok
Summary: Kogoro is hired to promote a new casino located in the Japanese countryside, where all is not as it seems. Episode 1008.


Dressed in his best tux, and his hair combed back, he faced the camera.

"Hello Japan. I am Detective Kogoro Mouri. You may have seen me on TV, or read about me in the news. I am famous for solving a large number of impossible crimes. But in my spare time, I am man who loves to gamble! That's why I'm a proud patron of the Royal Swan Casino House, located in Toba, Mie. Here they offer blackjack, poker, craps, and ROULETTE! Thrilling games of chance previously unknown to our country can be played legally here. They also offer room and board for prospective high-rollers, for only ¥20,000 (roughly $200) a night. So come on down and start winning big. Take it from me."

And finally, for dramatic effect, Kogoro sent the dice in his hand rolling down the craps table at high speed.

"Aaaand that's a wrap," Keizo Mashiba, age 27, owner of the Royal Swan Casino House, a tough looking guy with tattooing all over his arms, said.

"Did you get all the footage you needed?" Kogoro asked.

Keizo nodded. "Well, a deal's a deal, Mouri-san. A ¥200,000 paycheck for your promotional work here on our behalf. And of course enjoy your stay at our hotel."

From across the room Keizo's wife/business partner, Hinako (age 26), a woman who was wearing a crop top and who was chewing a wad of gum, looked on disapprovingly.

In July 2018, the Japanese government passed a bill relaxing its longstanding prohibition on most forms of gambling and allowing for a handful casinos to be opened in locations across the country. Though in real life the first of these are not set to open until the mid-2020s (and will be very large operations that even include shopping centers), in this story this small, local gambling establishment managed to get permission from the government to open its doors before anybody else, thanks to the intervention of the Mie prefectural government, which sought to increase tourism.

 **OPENING**

(White Sails by Maroon Festival)

(Conan's Voice: No pain, no gain! In the course of exposing the flaws in others you'll often uncover unwanted truths about yourself! Uncle visits a Casino! Let's just hope he doesn't end up losing big! Perceiving the one and only truth! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult, my name is DETECTIVE CONAN!)

If you look now you can see them departing from the docks

Bravely embarking beyond the horizon visible from the shore

Venturing into the endless deep-blue expanse we call the earth

Filled with anticipation and the realization there's no turning back

A trail blazed by the trade winds, overhead, blowing on their hair

Their time-worn wooden craft dipping into the crashing waves

The furthest out of the land-based seagulls seeing them off at last

As they boldly tread where none of their kin have gone before

"Isn't it great to be alive in these times?" the captain says, leaning against the deck

"Our forefathers made the way for this glorious day: let's not let them down, eh?"

White sails unfurled, capturing the wind, our time is here and now

We are the human race, the inheritors of a momentous undertaking

Today we write the next chapter in the timeless story of the proud

So they'll say of us, "They pushed the boundary to the next level."

 **The Killer's Ace in the** **Hole!**  


The Royal Swan Casino House was located within walking distance of the shoreline, which sported a not half bad looking yellow beach. The establishment was within walking distance of the two-story hotel (if it could really be called that) which was also owned by Keizo and Hinako. Both buildings had opened their doors about six months ago.

Kogoro, Eri, Conan, and Nancy walked over to the entrance of the hotel. As they drove in earlier they'd been greeted by Keizo, who had ordered the maids beforehand to come out and unpack the car. So this was the first time that they would be going inside. Of course, just like when they first drove up they couldn't help but to notice the picketers, predominantly women. They were holding up signs that read "Unpaid Wages=Wage Theft", "We Are Maids Not Slaves", "A Contract Broken is a Promise Broken", and finally "We Need More Lemon Pledge".

They entered.

"Ah! Mouri-san!" a familiar voice, Sakurako Yonehara (a young redheaded maid, age 23), called out from behind the reception desk. "Long time no see!"

And then, from the left and right sides, two additional people entered the lobby. They stood side by side and bowed in unison.

"We welcome your presence here, Mouri-san," they (Minaho and Honami Shimogasa, age 22, twin sisters who also work as maids) both said at the same time.

"Oh? You know these people?" Eri asked.

"Y-Yeah, I've met them at crime scenes," her husband replied sheepishly.

"Oh? Are you sure they aren't women you've flirted with?" she retorted.

"Oh come on, that's not funny," he said.

Those two twins always give me the creeps, he thought. And then there's that girl whose employers always end up dead...it's like they haunt wherever they go. The fact that all of them are gathered in one place...it's an evil omen for sure. This place is a murder scene just waiting to happen. Now I'm not sure if the 200,000 yen was worth coming for.

" _Neh_ , I have a question," Conan said to the twins. "About those people outside..."

"They're maids at this hotel who didn't get paid last month."

"Mashiba-sensei promised us he'd pay us all back with interest as soon as he had the money."

"But they didn't accept that, so they walked out and went on strike."

"The three of us are all that's left."

"Wow," Eri said. "Three people are running all of this?"

"Things here are slowgoing most of the time," one of the twins said. "To be honest we're happy when guests come in because it gives us something to do."

"Sifting through channels on the TV in the lounge searching for something to watch gets old after a while."

"So if there's anything you need..."

"Anything at all..."

"Please do not hesitate to come find us," they both said in unison.

Sakurako walked past them and up to Kogoro and his "family".

"I'll be showing you to your room now," Sakurako said. "If that's all right with you, Mouri-san?"

He nodded.

She led them to their room, which was on the first floor. She unlocked it and opened it.

"I take it you're Mrs. Mouri?" she asked Eri.

"Yeah...?"

And then she turned to Nancy. "Heh? I don't remember ever seeing you."

"I-I'm new around here," Nancy responded weakly.

"I see. Well, like Minaho-chan and Honami-chan said, if you need anything, just ask. The TV doesn't get a lot of channels around here, but there's a lot of old classics playing usually. The breakfast buffet is open from 7:00 until 10:00. But if you come later rather than sooner then a lot of the food might be stale. There's an aquarium and a high-up observatory where you can get a great view of the city, if you should find yourselves bored here. Alternately, you can check out the beach, or some local historic sites, like the ruins of Toba Castle or-

"I think we get the idea," Kogoro said, stopping her short.

"S-Sorry, I guess I got a little worked up. Well, I'll be leaving you to your own devices now. Enjoy your stay."

 **Scene Transition**

As Kogoro and Eri sat on a beach towel looking out at the ocean, Conan and Nancy built a sand castle.

"...Something's bothering you, isn't it?" Nancy asked.

He nodded. "It's what they said earlier."

"About Keizo-san not having enough money to pay his maids their due wages?"

"Y-Yeah. If what they said was true, then..."

"It would beg the question of why he offered dad 200,000 yen right off the bat to come here," she finished. "Why he didn't start out by simply offering to pay for our stay at the hotel."

And then, dressed in modest bathing suits, the twins stepped onto the beach.

"Greetings again, Mouri-san, Mrs. Mouri," they said. "Lovely weather, isn't it?"

"It's hot," Kogoro said. "And there's no babes here. Just this one middle aged-

Eri glared at him, and he stood down.

The twins had a chuckle at that.

And so, the two of them played with Conan and Nancy on the shores and in the waters for the next hour and a half.

Finally:

"Ow," Conan let out for the fifth time.

Minaho and Honami checked out the fresh red spot on the boy's leg.

"...Yup, looks like a jellyfish brushed you."

"It happens to tourists every now and then. They're not dangerous as long as you keep your distance and avoid swimming while the purple flag can be seen."

"Remember, we're intruding on their home, not the other way around."

"Oi, Conan," Kogoro said. "You uh, need me to take care of that?"

There was a pause, since Conan didn't get what he meant.

And then it hit him, and he was honestly kind of horrified at the thought.

"N-No thanks, _ojisan_!" Conan said nervously. "It's actually not a good idea to pee on a jellyfish sting!"

"Hmm?!" the mustached moron said, taken back. "Who said anything about that? I just meant I could try my hand at treating that wound. I know a thing or two about this, so..."

Huh, Conan thought, surprised. I don't think I've seen him like this. He's actually...nice, when he wants to be.

"Yo, Mouri-san!"

They turned to see that Keizo had come onto the beach. Accompanying him was Sakurako.

Knowing that the hotel was now left unattended, Minaho and Honami immediately headed straight back inside.

Kogoro waved to him, forgetting all about Conan.

"So, um, listen," Keizo said. "There's something I would like to speak with you about. If you could please follow me?"

"Uh, sure," Kogoro said.

Keizo turned to Eri. "If you don't mind me borrowing your husband for a little while, I promise I'll give him back by tomorrow morning."

Before Eri could say anything the two men were off.

 **Scene Transition**

They stepped inside the Casino.

"First, I'd like to thank you again," Keizo said. "We finished editing the video and posted it on YoTube. I think this calls for a celebration."

Hinako put a bottle of scotch on the table.

"This bottle is from 1981," Keizo said. "It was a gift for my dad on his wedding day, and he in turn gave it to me and Hinako on our wedding day. So I consider it sort of a family heirloom."

"T-That's very kind of you, but I can't accept something like this," Kogoro said. "And in any case, I don't drink anymore."

"Nonsense. It's not everyday that a world-renowned detective comes to visit," he said. "I would feel insulted if you didn't have some."

"Well, when you put it that way..."

Hinako filled his glass up and he drank.

"...Man, that's good stuff," Kogoro said happily. "You know, it's been a long time since I've enjoyed something like this. It's my wife. She won't let me drink anymore. I really miss it sometimes."

"Well, nothing's bad for you in moderation," Keizo said. "Here, have some more."

"That I will," Kogoro said gleefully.

After he finished his glass:

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"It's this casino," Keizo said. "As you're probably aware of by now, the business isn't doing very good. You're a very intelligent man, so I'd like to get your opinion on this: are the games here too easy to win?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, it's not good for business if in most instances any random Joe can just come in here and then walk out here a few hours later with more money than he had before. So I was wondering if you could maybe try your hand at some of these."

"Um, well, I don't know how to play..."

"Come on, it's easy. I'll show you."

Keizo led him over to the blackjack table.

"So how do you play?" Kogoro asked.

"The rules are fairly simple. We start out with this deck of cards. Well, more accurately, this is four 52-card decks mixed together. So at the start of the game both the player and the dealer are dealt two cards each. The dealer has one card facedown and another face-up, whereas both of the player's cards are face-up."

Keizo dealt the cards.

"Now see here, you got a Queen and a 5," he explained. "A 10, Jack, Queen, and King all have a value of 10. That 5, of course, is self-explanatory. The numbers range from 2 to 10. But if you get an Ace, it can be either a 1 or an 11. Whichever one is beneficial to you. Let me stress that drawing an Ace card cannot cause you to lose the game. But anyways, 10 plus 5 is obviously 15. From here, you have a choice: either stop here or be bold and draw another card. The point of the game is to get a number as close to but not exceeding 21. If you go over 21, you lose. You got all that?"

"Um, yeah, I think so. I got 15 right now, and I can draw another card, right?"

"Yes."

"I see. Alright then. Hit me."

Keizo dealt him another card. It was a 4.

"Ooh, that's good," he said. "Mouri-san, you're now at 19. I would not advise drawing another card, because then there's an 84% chance you'll lose."

"Very well then. I won't."

"Alright. It's the dealer's turn now."

Keizo turned over the facedown card.

"A 7 and an Ace," he said. "18. By Casino Rules I can't draw again if I reach or exceed a value of 17. So I guess this is where I'd call it quits. Congrats, Mouri-san. You won."

"Huuuh? R-Really?" Kogoro said with delight and shock, rarely ever having won on horse betting and pachinko, much less on his first try ever.

"Yeah. It's just a shame you weren't playing with real chips. You could've placed a wager and made money."

This seems too easy, Kogoro said. But then again, he did say he was worried it might be too easy, so he's probably going to change the game later. This is my...

"LUCKY CHANCE!"

"Huh?" Keizo said.

"N-Nothing," Kogoro said. "Hey, hit me up. I'd like to purchase some chips."

"Coming right up, Mouri-san," Keizo said, walking behind the counter with a stride in his step. "Hinako, pour this man some more scotch!"

 **Scene Transition**

Having spent the past few hours watching old re-runs of late night shows like Judge Jodie, Eri perked up when finally somebody went up to the door and opened it.

A very drunk Kogoro, whose weight was supported by Keizo, came stumbling into the room, and then crashed on the bed.

"What have you two been up to?!" she demanded, not pleased at all.

"Just business," Keizo said. "I'm sorry it took us so long. Well, goodnight."

And then he left.

"...How much money did you lose?" she said, the disappointment unmistakable in his voice.

"Relax, we didn't lose anything," Kogoro said, his cheeks flushed, hiccuping. "He just doesn't owe me anymore."

"So he...paid you already?"

"No, more like he doesn't have to pay me." Kogoro said.

Eri stood up. "You MEAN to TELL me that you GAMBLED AWAY all the 200,000 (Yen) he owed us?!"

"You could say that...Wait, no, actually, that's exactly what happened!"

He burst out laughing. And then there was a pause.

"Has anyone ever told you how pretty you are?" Kogoro asked, too inebriated to realize how furious his wife was.

"You're sleeping on that couch tonight, she said. "I hope you realize what you've done."

"Oh come on," he said teasingly, lustily. "We can make sweet love to the sound of those...annoying crickets."

"NO!"

Eri pushed him away.

Beginning to realize the situation, Kogoro hesitated before stumbling over to the couch.

 **Scene Transition**

 **The Next Day**

Packing one heel of a headache, Kogoro accompanied his wife, Conan, and Nancy over to the casino.

"Nope, sorry," Keizo said. "Your husband used his credit card to purchase 200,000 (Yen) worth in casino chips throughout the course of yesterday evening. Look, we even got it all on camera."

And so, they watched the footage. To make a long story short, it went down like this:

Kogoro acted like a bumbling fool, playing blackjack and craps over and over again. Whenever he had a high chance of losing, Keizo advised him to double down (that is, double his bet), and Kogoro stupidly agreed each time. Hinako kept switching out the decks in between rounds (a standard practice at this Casino to prevent card-counting, though it probably wasn't necessary in Kogoro's case) while Sakurako kept serving him alcohol. He also tried to grope Hinanko several times, as her cleavage was very visible all throughout the night. There were no clocks in the casino, and Keizo had taken his phone partway into it "for safekeeping". Whenever Kogoro was just about to call it quits for the night, Keizo would talk him into continuing to gamble, until finally Japan's most famous detective ended up blowing through every last morsel of what he would've earned doing the commercial. It was truly a spectacle to behold. To Keizo's credit, he did not continue the charade after Kogoro had lost all of that amount owed but rather closed shop and escorted him back to his room.

"...I think I've seen enough," Eri said partway through the footage. "Turn it off."

Kogoro looked at Keizo angrily.

"Hey you, bub!" he said. "This is SO not fair, you know!"

"Yeah, I know," Keizo said with a confident grin. "But look, I'll be sure to return the 200,000 (Yen) to you and then we'll just call it even. I really am sorry I had to trick you like this, but in all honesty I couldn't afford to pay you. We're just barely able to keep our doors open as it is. Of course feel free to enjoy yourselves here for the rest of the weekend."

Still feeling like he'd been conned, Kogoro nonetheless had to just swallow his pride and accept this answer.

" _Oi_ , don't try to peg this all on him," Eri whispered to her husband. "You knew what you were getting into and you did it anyways."

"I-I know that," Kogoro said. "I just have one question, about the Scotch..."

Keizo laughed. "You didn't actually believe that story, did you? No, we got that Scotch from one of our suppliers a week ago. It's cheap as can be."

Good, Conan thought with a deadpan look. No point wasting fine drinks on a philistine like Uncle.

Sakurako bowed politely. "Mouri-san, I'd also like to apologize for my role in last night. I had my doubts about what we were doing as it was happening, but I went along with it anyway."

"Hmph, don't worry about it," Kogoro said, trying to hold on to whatever last shred of dignity he had left at this point.

"The important thing is, nothing was lost and much was gained," Hinako said. "The video has over 30,000 views now, and the comments are overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic."

Keizo nodded. "We'll be getting a lot of customers soon, and we'll be able to pay the maids their dues and pay back our debts. And it's all thanks to you, Mouri-san. You did us a huge favor here. I won't forget this, and if this Casino becomes successful maybe one day I'll be able to pay you back for real."

Kogoro nodded. "I wish you all the best, then."

He turned to his family. "Come on, let's go explore the town and maybe grab a bite to eat."

"We'll eat," Eri said. "You won't, unless we feel like giving you some of our leftovers."

Not wanting to fight about this after what he did, Kogoro just moaned in dread of his future self going hungry as he went with them to the rental car.

 **Scene Transition**

Knowing what was coming, Keizo played with the half-empty glass of scotch in his hand. He knew he needed it to calm his nerves. Then again, if he drank too much then it'd adverse affect his performance, and he could've afford to make a mistake. So for now he was just seeing how he felt, and trying to decide whether or not to finish the glass or not.

He got a call on his phone. It was Minaho.

"Yeah?"

"That person just drove up, sir," she said.

"Do you want us to send him over to you?" Honami asked.

"...Yeah, go ahead," he answered.

He hung up.

The man in question was Tomokazu Kaburagi, age 58, the man who had a near-total monopoly on Pachinko Parlors in Mie Prefecture.

Yup, I need another one down the hatch, he thought, taking one last sip before setting the glass down.

A few minutes later, Kaburagi-san entered. Keizo stood to greet him.

They shook hands.

"...It's kind of stuffy in here, isn't it," Tomokazu said.

"Y-Yeah, sorry about that," Keizo said. "The AC went out this morning."

"I see. Then I'll this brief," Tomokazu said.

"So will I: I'm not giving up on my life's dream."

"Oh?" the wealthy businessman said with a sinister smile. "You won't, huh? But haven't I already made you a very generous offer?"

"To pay back all the debts I incurred in the course of this business venture, yes," Keizo said. "But to me, that's not a good offer at all. Did you see my video?"

"Huh?"

"Yesterday I got the Sleeping Kogoro to come here and shoot a promotional video for us."

"Oh? Is he still here?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"However much you offered him, I can do better," Tomokazu said. "I'll have him do a video for me bashing your establishment as a joke."

Keizo growled.

Tomokazu laughed. "Just kidding, of course! I really don't care about what trifling measures you attempt to keep yourself above water. I'll crush you in the end either way."

"Well, I guess that explains a few things."

"Hmm?"

"Such as the striking maids," Keizo said. "Who can afford to just stand in front of a building all day and picket? They walked out because they couldn't afford to go without pay, so...and what about the lunch van my people report seeing every afternoon? I've had to ask myself, who could possibly be behind this?"

"Hmph, it's not just the maids, you know," Tomokazu said. "There's a lot of people in this town who see casinos as a den of vice. Looks like it's even gonna be a question on the ballot soon enough."

"Yeah, well, you should know that better than anyone: you've been covertly funding their operations for months now. What's the matter? Afraid of a little competition?"

"I'm not afraid of anything. I just think this dump is an eyesore, that's all. This makes for nice beachfront property...what a waste."

Tomokazu sighed. "Alright then. I clearly can't change your mind, so...how about we make this a little more interesting?"

"Oh?"

"Tonight. You and me, a game of poker. Down on the beach, where it's nice and cool. If I win, you get off my case for good. That means no more funding my opponents or anything like that. If you win, I'll sell."

Tomokazu laughed again. "You're on, kid! I'm plenty good enough to wipe that smirk right off your face. But...well, poker isn't really a game for just two players."

Keizo shrugged. "Alright. We'll get some more people in. We'll make it four or five players. If they win, the two of us will just consider it a tie."

"Sounds good to me. See you tonight."

And with that, Tomokazu swaggered out the front door.

Keizo poured himself another glass and swallowed it all down with one gulp.

 **Scene Transition**

They gathered around the table which had been taken out onto the beach. There was a seat for Keizo, Hinako, Tomokazu, Kogoro...and Conan.

"Sheesh, why would a kid like you even know how to play poker?" Kogoro murmured.

"My dad taught me in-

"Hawaii, yeah, I've heard that one before," Kogoro said.

They sat down.

"Hey, come on now," Eri said anxiously. "If you're trying to win that money back-

"Relax, we aren't playing with real money," Kogoro said. "This one's just for fun."

After a moment's hesitation Eri took a step back and then began to walk away. She and Nancy headed back to the room.

Tomokazu cracked his knuckles. "Alright. Let's get started then."

He put his own deck of cards onto the table. He'd evidently just bought it from a store a short while ago, since it was still wrapped in plastic. He ripped the plastic off and stood up.

"Excuse me while I shuffle these," he said.

"Don't cheat," Keizo warned.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't need to cheat to beat a sucker like you."

Tomokazu stood by himself a few yards away, shuffled the deck, returned, and then set the cards on the table.

And with that, the game began.

Each player drew two cards, and then three community cards were placed face-up on the table. They all started out with thirty poker chips borrowed from the Casino: he (or she) who had the highest net gain in chips by the end of the game would be the winner.

Knowing what was at stake Sakurako and the two twins stood nearby to observe the game.

The game passed silently. Each player was giving his or her total concentration on winning.

Forty Five Minutes Later:

They finished a round, and Tomokazu grabbed all the cards to reshuffle them.

"...Phew, I could go for a drink," Tomokazu said.

Keizo snapped his fingers. "Oi, Sakurako-chan."

The red-headed maid came running. "Yes?"

"Give this man something to drink," he said. "Any glass will do."

Sakurako nodded and headed over to the Casino, where the alcoholic beverages were stored.

A few minutes later she returned and set the drink down at his place. A few seconds later he moved the glass, and then took a sip from it. Soon he finished and she took the empty glass inside to the kitchen sink.

Thirty Minutes Later

"...I'm out," Kogoro said.

"Ehh? But you still have two chips," Conan said.

"Hmph, I know when I'm beat."

Kogoro set his cards down and continued to sit there as to watch the game. Conan was in last place now, with Hinako in third. Keizo and Tomokazu were tied. The wagers for this round were high. Both Conan and Hinako folded this round, not willing to keep up with the ever-increasing wagers.

"You sure you don't want to just cut your losses now?" Keizo said smugly. "Better not to lose everything in one go."

"Shut up," Tomokazu said. "I never play to lose."

But still, Tomokazu was clearly under a lot of pressure, because he began biting his nails.

Checkmate, Keizo thought with a downright evil grin.

"Can somebody just move already?!" Kogoro said. "You've both been just sitting there for almost five minutes now."

"Yeah, I agree," Hinako said. "This round's taking forever. The sooner the next round starts the sooner I can-

Tomokazu clutched his chest.

Huh? Conan thought, alarmed.

Tomokazu stood up and began gagging. A few seconds later, he fell back into his chair...

Which then tipped over. Tomokazu's head hit the sand.

Kogoro stood up. "Somebody call a paramedic!"

Conan went over to the now motionless Tomokazu and smelled him.

"Almonds," he said. "This man... _Neh_ , Uncle, call the police too!"

 **Scene Transition**

"So that's what happened," the officer on scene said.

The officer then received a text on his phone. He read it.

"So...the cause of death has been identified as poisoning," he said. "Hydrogen Cyanide. My men found traces of it on the victim's hands and lips."

Mortified that yet they were witnesses to another murder, the twins clutched each other tightly.

"I-I can't believe it...this happened to us again."

"This is all because Mouri-san's here! He's cursed!"

"Hmm? I don't think that's right," Sakurako said. "I remember a case of murder where Mouri-san wasn't anywhere present. But...hey, that boy, Conan-kun...was he there both times?"

The twins nodded.

"Then it must be him!" Sakurako declared. "He's like a cosmic lightning rod for death."

Conan couldn't help but to sneeze.

The Officer approached Sakurako. "You delivered a glass of alcohol to the victim?"

"Y-Yes," she said. "I didn't kill anyone, though!"

"Would you mind showing us which glass you used?"

"Of course."

 **Scene Transition**

Conan silently trailed them as Sakurako and the Officer went inside the Casino.

They headed to the back and entered the kitchen.

"There it is," Sakurako said, pointing to the sink.

Grabbing a napkin, the Officer carefully picked up the glass so as to not to disturb evidence. There was another cop nearby. The Officer handed the glass to him.

"Get this to forensics right away and have them test its contents for poison," he ordered. The other cop took the glass and then did as he was told.

"Where was the glass before you used it tonight?" the Officer asked.

"It was in that cabinet," she said. "That's where we keep all the glasses."

The Officer opened up one of the two sides (the left side).

"It was from here?" he asked.

"Y-Yes. On the bottom shelf."

"I see."

As they were leaving the kitchen, Conan snuck inside and climbed up on the counter. He looked inside the cabinet.

Then, he opened up the right side cabinet door.

So that's how it was, he realized. But how did he know about that thing...?

 **Scene Transition**

"What's going on here?" Eri demanded, stepping onto the crime scene.

"Eri," Kogoro said. "You should go back to the room. And take Conan with you. This isn't a place for children to be snooping around."

"Huh?"

"A guy was murdered here tonight."

"Not necessarily."

They turned to the Officer.

"The report is in," the Officer said. "The inside of the glass used by the victim did not test positive for hydrogen cyanide. That is to say, the poison was not in his drink."

"What?!" Kogoro said. "But if that's true, then how did-

"Let me finish. The cards that the victim was holding on to did test positive. That was how it got on his hands. Based on Miss Hinako's testimony, we can now decisively establish that it got in his mouth when he started biting his nails."

"Perhaps the poison was left on the table ahead of time where he'd rest his cards?" Eri suggested. "The killer might've anticipated that he'd take a drink, in which case he'd put down his cards on the table."

Kogoro shook his head. "The seating was random. Anyone could've sat down anywhere."

"There is a possibility we're overlooking," the Officer said. "The victim brought the deck of cards, right? And he was also the one to shuffle the deck, or so I've been told. So nobody else would've had the opportunity to do this except him."

"What are you saying?" Eri said. "That he poisoned himself?"

"Now hear me out. He could've planned to poison one of the other players, by somehow anticipating what cards would be drawn by who. But he carelessly ended up poisoning himself."

Kogoro nodded. "But who would he have beef with?"

"Nobody!" Hinako blurted out. "Tomokazu-san had no incentive to try to kill anybody."

"Huh?" the Officer said.

"He made an agreement with my husband: if he won, my husband would close the Casino. He had no reason to try anything like this."

"But...wouldn't that give your husband an incentive to commit the murder?" Kogoro asked.

"No, because if my husband won, Tomokazu-san would stop interfering with our business."

"By the way," the Officer said, "how did you feel about your husband making this agreement? Did he ask your permission beforehand?"

"He didn't have to," she said. "I wanted him to call it quits and coup our losses, which is what would've happened had he lost. I don't think either of us would've had any reason to do this."

"But then...who did?" the Officer wondered. "That cyanide didn't get there by itself."

Conan stood at a distance.

Alright, he thought, I've got everything I need. Time to wrap this up...

He aimed his stun-gun at Kogoro; because it was dark out, he needed not worry that anybody might see him do it.

He fired.

Within seconds, Kogoro had stumbled onto one of the chairs.

Conan dashed underneath the table and grabbed his voice-changing bowtie.

"Officer, I've figured it all out. Gather everyone together, and I'll shed some much-needed light on this matter."

 **Scene Transition**

"Alright, everyone's here," Eri said. "What happened here?"

"Officer," Conan/Kogoro said, "I would like for you to do something for me."

"And that would be...?"

"Have the coroner check the glass again. This time, have him inspect the bottom of the glass for poison."

The Officer turned to a nearby cop. "You heard the man."

"Yes sir!"

"He should find exactly that: traces of hydrogen cyanide," Conan/Kogoro said. "Sakurako-chan, I have a question for you. You were the one to serve Tomokazu-san's glass to him. Have you been trained recently to serve in this capacity at the Casino?"

"Y-Yes," Sakurako said. "I've been training as a waitress."

"And did Keizo-san teach you exactly how to do it?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Did he by any chance teach you to lay the glass down right in front of the client?"

"Come to think of it...yeah, that's exactly what he did."

"That confirms it, then: he's been planning this murder for a while," Conan/Kogoro said. "That's right: Keizo-san is the culprit!"

"Folly!" Keizo barked. "You're just making assertions without evidence!"

"Officer, I have another request for you," Conan/Kogoro said. "You know the cabinet where Sakurako-chan took the glass from? That was the left side, correct? Please send somebody to check the right side."

"Um, sure," the Officer said. "What should he look for?"

"Just have him confirm that there's a large number of glasses there."

"Understood."

The Officer turned to a nearby cop and nodded.

"Keizo-san knew that, upon taking out the pitcher of liquor, the left side of the cabinet would be closer to Sakurako-chan than the right side would be. So it'd be natural for her to select a glass from the left. If he removed all the glasses from the left side and put them on the right side, with the exception of the glass which had the poison on the bottom, he'd be assured that she would pick that glass. Like she was trained to do, she set the glass down in Tomokazu-san's personal space, right where his arms and hands would be. So he'd be sure to move the glass to the side, but by that point the poison would've already gotten on the table. At some point during the game he would set his cards down, and they'd get poison on them. Finally, all he had to do was bite his nails, and it'd be game over from Tomokazu-san."

A cop came running. "Sir, the coroner has confirmed that there's poison on the bottom of the glass!"

"Excellent," Conan/Kogoro said. "You should also be able to find traces of poison by checking out the table and the left side of the cabinet. Finding the latter would at least lend credence to establishing Sakurako-chan's innocence. As for hard evidence of Keizo-san's guilt, it should be noted that the glass was clean before Sakurako-chan grabbed it: it had been run through a dishwasher, after all. So it should've come out with a clean slate, or so to speak. No fingerprints left. Who normally dries the glasses after they've been washed?"

"I do," Hinako said. "Keizo never bothers with that stuff."

Keizo looked at his wife, shocked at the fact that she wouldn't lie for him.

"Very good then," Conan/Kogoro said. "If any of Keizo-san's fingerprints are found on the glass, or on the other glasses in the cabinet which he moved from the left side to the right, that should be enough to establish his guilt."

Keizo was silent.

"There was one thing I couldn't figure out," Conan/Kogoro said. "This whole trick would not have worked had you not known about Tomokazu-san's habit of biting his nails when he's nervous. And so I asked Conan-kun to look him up: one Tomokazu Kaburagi had participated in an amateur Texas Hold'Em Tournament in Las Vegas about two decades ago. He didn't make it past the third game, but in all three games, the footage of which can now be found on YoTube, he was seen biting his nails during the most intense parts of it. Had you found these videos, and known that he likes to drink, you would've had what you needed to put a trick like this together. Am I wrong?"

Keizo fell to his knees. "...No, everything you said is true. I killed that man exactly as you described..."

"Why the H**L would you do something like that?!" Hinako said.

"Like I told him before I killed him," Keizo said, "I had no intention of ever giving up my dream. If I killed him, this big mess I was in would go away."

"But you could've just won the game, couldn't you?" Kogoro suggested.

"I could say that I didn't want to take the chance of losing, but that isn't entirely accurate," Keizo said. "I was introduced to the world of gambling working at a Pachinko Parlor that used to be open just a few miles from here. My boss was under heavy pressure from Tomokazu-san...he challenged him to a game of Poker. The stakes were the same as in our case: if my boss won, Tomokazu-san would back down, and if the latter won then my boss would sell the business. My boss...he won. But that man...he reneged on his word! My boss was ultimately forced to sell. So that's how I knew...that I was screwed no matter how this match went down. The only way out was to kill him, and to frame it on Sakurako-chan...I'm sorry, everyone! I'm so, so sorry!"

He burst into tears.

 **Ending**

( _Hikari_ by Hikaru Utada, main theme to the 2002 video game Kingdom Hearts)

 _Donna toki datte_

 _Tada hitori de_

 _Unmei wasurete_

 _Ikite kita no ni_

 _Totsuzen no hikari no naka me ga sameru_

 _Mayonaka ni_

 _Shizuka ni deguchi ni tatte_

 _Kurayami ni hikari o ute_

 _Imadoki yakusoku nante fuan ni saseru dake kana_

 _Negai o kuchi ni shitai dake sa_

 _Kazoku ni mo shoukai suru yo_

 _Kitto umaku iku yo_

 _Donna toki datte_

 _Zutto futari de_

 _Donna toki datte_

 _Soba ni iru kara_

 _Kimi to iu hikari ga watashi o mitsukeru_

 _Mayonaka ni_

 **Post-Ending**

 **One Month Later**

Eri stepped inside holding the mail.

She set it down on the kitchen table.

"Oh?" she said. "It's a letter. From those three maids from that case a month ago."

"Huh?" Kogoro said, putting down his newspaper.

"Dear Mouri-san," she read out loud, "After this last incident, we all decided to stop being maids, since our bosses just end up dying or becoming murderers. Instead, we're all now flight attendants. Nothing bad can happen up in the sky, right? Best wishes, the Shimogasa Sisters and Sakurako Yonehara."

"And look," she said, "they even sent a picture of themselves in their flight attendant uniforms."

They should've told me what airline, Kogoro thought. Now I can never fly again.


End file.
